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The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, has assigned the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs to represent the Kingdom in this international gathering. Since then, the Ministry has exerted extensive efforts to achieve the goals desired from this participation. On this occasion, HRH Prince Dr. Mansour bin Mit'ib ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz, Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs, said: “Under the directions of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, we, at the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, have been honored with the assignment of representing the Kingdom at World Expo 2010 in China. Since then, we have exerted all efforts, under King ‘Abd Allah’s continuous follow-up and directions, to organize capabilities, work energetically and assiduously in order to succeed in achieving the expectations of the Kingdom’s Government and people, and attain the desired fruits of such participations on the international arena to reflect the true image of the kingdom of humanity, the progress it has achieved in all arenas, its excellent level of values; culture; industry and economy, and the urbanization development that accompanied all of this.”
History of World Expo
The first “World Expo” event was held in 1851 in London under the name of “International Industries Exhibition”. In that gathering, the British exhibited more than 100,000 pieces of industrial products developed during the Industrial Revolution. Since then, dozens of exhibitions were held at regular intervals, with each exhibition displaying and recording the accomplishments and developments of its era and the degree of modernization achieved by the participating countries. Particular attention was paid to the achievements in these societies in the areas of science, technology, culture, arts, architecture, lifestyles and other various fields.
Throughout its history, World Expo has acted as a launching pad for numerous ideas and distinguished human achievements: Expo 1964 in New York witnessed the birth of Disneyland, while the famous Eiffel Tower, a distinctive feature of Paris, was built on the occasion of the Paris Expo of 1889.
This year’s 41st Expo is expected to contain numerous surprises and human firsts.
The Kingdom’s Pavilion at the 2010 Expo: Unique Design and Exuberant Content:
No visitor of Expo can miss the Kingdom’s Pavilion; a huge structure with a singular design, unique location, and a boat-like, design pointing in the direction of Makkah in manifestation of clear vision and direction.
The sleek shape of Kingdom’s pavilion, is inspired from the treasury pitcher in Chinese heritage denoting prosperity and good luck.
The Saudi pavilion, next in size only to China’s, was built at a unique location overlooking the Huangpu River. It is called the Moon Boat and berthed on the friendship garden.
The pavilion’s walls are decorated with original Islamic designs, symbolizing the importance of religion in the life of Saudis and the fact that it is the true propeller of progress, prosperity and development. The pavilion’s contents are in harmony with the wisdom of the desert, life in aquatic regions, and the richness of oases; thus reflecting the Kingdom’s cultural and geographic diversity and its developmental progress.
The double spiral corridor in the middle of the Saudi pavilion reflects the importance of balanced progress and development of the economy and prosperity on the one hand and culture on the other.
The pavilion is engineered to consume less energy, exemplifying energy conservation for a better future and a prosperous world.
Dr. ' Abd ar-Rahman Al Ashaikh, Commissioner General, Saudi Pavilion @ Shanghai Expo 2010, said: “The Kingdom’s pavilion at Expo 2010 was built to endure as a bridge for communication with the friendly people of China in particular, and with the world in general, for them to know our culture, history and folklore, and for us to present a true image of ourselves to others.”
Officials in charge of the Saudi pavilion expect the number of visitors to exceed 7 million men, women and children.
The Folklore and Cultural Display platform
This platform, in the pavilion’s yard, is equipped with the technical and logistic fixtures required for popular folklore performances which reflect cultural and folklore diversity of the inhabitants of the different regions of the Kingdom, while maintaining unity in values, beliefs and patriotic expression.
The Giant Emerged Screen
With the help of a conveyor belt moving over a huge 1600-square-meter inverted screen, one of the largest and most advanced screens of its kind, visitors to the Saudi pavilion will go on a virtual, enjoyable and breath-taking journey over thousands of kilometers, visiting the various regions of the Kingdom, exploring their distinct features and following their path of development in the various urbanization, industrial and economic arenas. This screen is equipped with an advanced sound system that makes you ‘live’ the snapshots and scenes shown on the screen.
Development of this short film took months, during which snapshots and scenes that best reflect the reality of diversity, progress and development the Kingdom experiences were selected.
Arabian Oasis on the Moon Boat’s Rooftop
The tour of the Saudi pavilion comes to an end at the pavilion’s rooftop, where visitors will be surprised to see a Bedouin tent set up between tall palm trees reflect the simple life of Bedouins, away from the complexities of modern contemporary life, in an open roofless space.
Mina Tents; an Excellent Example for the Best Urban Practice
On the other side of the Huangpu River, the Expo 2010’s Organizing Committee has set up a field for the best urban practice. The displays in this area were chosen by panels of judges, to represent the best aspects of human life in cities and urban areas.
The Kingdom is participating with its unique experience of providing hundreds of thousands of safe tents in the Mina area to accommodate more than 2 million pilgrims each year for only a few days during which they perform the Hajj rituals. Mina tents are provided with complete food services, water and sanitary drainage facilities, first aid centers, medical services, as well as the various means of transportation.
Mina is one of the 55 city projects that have been selected from 226 nominations from across the world for exhibition at the World Expo 2010 Shanghai.
Solid Relations And Promising Future
For more than 20 years now, the Saudi-Chinese relations have witnessed cooperation in the areas of industry, commerce, economy, etc., bearing the promise of a better future and limitless mutual cooperation and joint ventures. Dr. Mohammad Al Ghamdi, Executive Director of Saudi Commission, stressed this when he said: “The Kingdom’s pavilion, with its huge structure, the level of participation in it and its diverse programs and content, reflects the strong ties and mutual interests between the two countries.”
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